Time To Say Goodbye
by Blade of AwE
Summary: It was just like any other night, except this one was different. All four members of Team RWBY sleep, and one nameless person visits them in their dreams. In memorial to Monty Oum, may he rest in peace.
1. Red

**In loving memory of Monty Oum.**

* * *

The night was brighter than most, with the moon shining through the window of Team RWBY's dormitory room. The team had gone to sleep like any other night, with Blake reading peacefully, Yang and Ruby gossiping, and with Weiss occasionally chiming in to the conversation.

But something hung over the room that made all four of the girls feel more gloomy, though no one mentioned it. They all thought it was unique to them, but the emptiness in the pit of their stomachs was shared between them all.

The first to fall asleep was Ruby. When her light went out, and her eyes shut, she fell asleep listening to (and tuning out) the remaining conversation between Weiss and Yang. She did not say anything before she fell asleep, nothing like a 'good night' or 'sleep tight'.

However, she would be saying those things to someone else that night, just not in her wake.

When she opened her eyes, she was in an endless nothingness, the color white surrounding her in every direction. Then, she heard footsteps. The small girl turned her head, and saw a taller man in a red suit that stood out like a sore thumb the landscape.

He wore a smile on his face, and her first thought was that it was Lie Ren of Team JNPR, but she noticed he was very different. His hair was a lot shorter, and he didn't have the same pink pupils. They were instead brown.

Ruby's mouth hung open slightly, and she felt a pang of sadness drop in her stomach. She could not place his face to a name, or recognize where she knew him from, but she felt safety and affection for the man.

"Hello, Ruby," is all he said, before he extended his arms out and hugged her. She did not hug back at first, still trying to figure out his name and how she knew him.

"H-hi," was what she squeaked out. The girl did not know why she returned the hug, but she did. Her arms wrapped around his body and she felt tears spring to her eyes. They stung as she unsuccessfully fought them back.

"You," he began, pulling away with his arms still on her shoulders, "Are one of my favourite creations." He smiled warmly, and she began crying more.

"C-creations?" She asked, her teary eyes staring into his chocolate ones. He chuckled a bit and nodded.

"You don't know me, but I know you. I know you very well." He told her, staring down into her grey eyes. She thought she saw a little trickle of tear run down from his eye as he said this, but she could never be sure, for after he said this, he simply kissed her forehead before turning and walking away.

She watched him leave, an unmistakable sadness filling up in her. The teen fell to her knees and watched as he walked away, his back to her. He turned his head at the very end, and he smiled again, before simply disappearing into the air.

As well as the tear, she thought she saw a pair of wings on his back.

"_Goodbye, Ruby Rose._"


	2. White

Weiss Schnee had had no idea that her team leader had fallen asleep before Yang had brought it up, but when she heard she just rolled her eyes and fell back onto her pillow.

"Well, Yang," she let out a heavy sigh, "If you can't beat them."

Within a few minutes in the crippling silence, Weiss had found her place in a dreamland, but it was more odd than her usual dream. She had not known she was dreaming at the time, and so she turned hopelessly in circles, confused.

When she had turned about seven hundred and twenty degrees, she saw him. A simple man in a white suit. She watched him curiously, feeling a hint of recognition in his face. He wore a simple, defeated smile that masked what she could only assume was sadness.

It was in this moment that she understood the sadness she had felt earlier in her wake. It felt heavier, and it seemed to weigh her down. Maybe that was why he looked so tall to her, because she felt like she was near the ground in this moment.

When he was within a foot of her she jumped at him, hugging him like it would save her from the unbearable pressure she felt, which it did. She did not feel any less weighed down, but she felt some of the weight being supported by his arms when his arms wrapped around her head.

He brushed her hair soothingly, as she sobbed into his chest. She would have no idea later why she would cry for a man she only knew the face of, but with him right in front of her it was obvious.

This man was dying, and in his last moments she was one of the people he had decided to visit. He was passing on from his own life, but she felt like a lot of his life had a huge effect on her own.

She pushed him away, but with her hands still gripping his suit.

"Don't go." She begged, tears lining her cheeks. He smiled weakly, just shaking his head. She watched his face change as her bottom lip trembled in a mixture of fear and worry.

"I wish I could stay. I want to see your story end," he said, before shrugging, "But life doesn't always work out that way, but..."

He wiped her cheek, causing the line her tears had left to disappear for a split second before more flowed down.

"Live yours. It'll be worth it."

Weiss felt an extra load of sadness being dumped on her, causing a few sobs to escape from her lips as she embraced him again.

"P-please! Don't leave!" The icy girl begged. But it was of no use.

She felt his lips on her forehead, and her grip falter as he hugged her tightly one last time, before stepping back and walking away.

She watched him leave, wanting to scream out for him not to leave, but not finding the words to do it. Anything she attempted to say got caught in her throat and never escaped.

He glanced back at her with his weak smile, before fading away.

"_Goodbye, Weiss Schnee._"


	3. Black

As all chatter faded, Blake closed her book and shut off her light, but she would not be falling asleep anytime soon, because of her partner.

"Hey Blake," Yang began, "Does something feel... different?"

Blake thought for a moment, raising her eyebrow though no one would see it before tilting her head. She slowly nodded.

"Yes, something feels different tonight," The faunus admitted, "Like I lost someone great, but I don't know who."

Yang nodded on her own bunk.

"Weird. Me too. Anyway," the light above Blake's bunk shut off quickly, "Night!"

"Goodnight, Yang." Blake said with a smile.

She shut her glowing yellow eyes and turned over so her back was to Weiss. When she fell unconscious, she woke up in a dream state. She figured it must have been a dream because of the empty void she was pitted in.

Nothing surrounded her, just nothing for miles. She sat up and turned her head from side to side. She felt her ears no longer in her bow, before they perked up. The faunus girl turned her attention to the noise she heard, and turned her head fully to see a man dressed fully in a black suit standing behind her with his arm extended to help her up.

She uneasily took it, recognizing him at first as Ren. She did not think much of it. It wasn't uncommon for her to have dreams with her friends there. They usually just talked, and when she stood up she stopped any words from leaving her mouth.

This was not Ren.

She studied his face silently, her eyes scanning every feature. She felt a sense of security around him. Narrowing her eyes, she was skeptical about this feeling before her subconscious told her she was safe with him.

Her hand was still in his, and she felt him pull her in closer. His arms wrapped around her, and though the thought to cry came to mind she did not. She simply hugged back, feeling depressed suddenly.

Her mind raced as she thought about who this man was. The thought that maybe he was her father came to mind, but that was impossible, though he still felt like a father-figure to her. Then it clicked in her mind. This man was not her biological father, but he certainly made her.

"I'm here because of you." She realized, speaking into his chest. She felt his chuckle as his chest lifted and fell with her cheek pressed into him.

"Yeah, I am. But that's not quite the reaction I was expecting. I got tears from the other two." He spoke. His voice was soft, and when he spoke she had to make sure this was not actually Ren, for he sounded like and spoke in the manner just like Nora's friend.

She pushed away from his suddenly, studying his face again. She noticed how baggy his eyes were, and how a coat of sadness was caked underneath his soft smile.

"You're dying." She thought aloud, her mouth still slightly agape. He nodded, his eyes focused on the ground now. The faunus girl felt pain and sympathy for him, and some for herself.

"You're right, Blake. I am. I shouldn't be, but all good things must come to an end." He spoke sadly, and watched her. She shook her head.

"Why visit me on your deathbed? Why not speak with your loved ones?" She asked suddenly, feeling confused

"I wish I could," He sighed, shutting his eyes, "But since I can't, I thought I might as well say goodbye to some of my best creations."

Now, Blake began to tear up. She felt a scream in her throat that did not come out, and a feeling of wanting to save him that she could not act on. She knew he was dying, and she knew there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

The girl hugged him one last time before he kissed her forehead and let go. She felt his heat leave her as he began walking away, still facing her and waving.

"Goodbye, Monty." She mumbled. The name had come to her naturally.

"_Goodbye, Blake Belladonna._"


	4. Yellow

With the sounds of breathing under her bunk, and across her bunk, Yang was slowly lulled to sleep.

She sat up quickly, no longer on her bunk but instead in the middle of a vast plane of white. The blonde puzzled where she was.

"Did I just die or something?" She wondered aloud, her eyes darting across the nothing. Then she spotted it, in the distance. A man in a suit of yellow. She watched him, and watched him, and watched him. She could have sworn it took him hours to reach her, but at the same time she thought it was only seconds.

Yang got to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to finally be able to confront her. When he was feet away, she looked over him, feeling a familiar vibe coming from him.

"How do I know you...?" Yang whispered, tilting her head out of curiosity and narrowing her eyes. He just chuckled.

"The better question is, how do you _not_ know me?" He countered, holding his arms out for a hug and not forcing it on her. She thought about it for a second, before hesitantly accepting it and hugging him in return.

She had no idea what triggered it, but the uncertainty quickly changed into crushing sorrow. Tear threatened to run down her face, but she blinked them back for the time being. She was almost as tall as him, and though her mind would have told her it was Ren, she knew it was not.

She knew this man was so much more than just her casual acquaintance. Somehow she knew that he knew everything about her, but she could not even put a name to his face, or his peculiar yellow suit.

He sniffled suddenly, causing her to look up at him. His face was smiling, but tears were running down his cheeks. The blonde could not fight it anymore. She let the tears flow freely down her cheeks as well.

"I love all of you, Yang. Make sure they know that. Make sure to know and to tell them that even though I no longer control your destiny, I love you all. I wish I could be with you until the very end, and that I would be able to be proud of your final moments as your story wrapped up and everything ended happily ever after.

"But I can't be there. I can't be there to watch as you turn from a cocky girl to a grown woman, or Ruby, or Weiss, or Blake. So just... tell them that I love them for me, okay?" He asked, his eyes now open as he cried.

She nodded, trying to fight back sobs.

"And never stop going." He said, before kissing her forehead. He quickly let go of her, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his suit before letting loose a sob.

She watched as he ran off into the distance, quickly disappearing in the landscape.

"_Goodbye, Yang Xiao Long._"


	5. RWBY

When the four girls awoke, it was all in the middle of the night at the same time. They all felt the imprint of lips on their forehead, and all were freshly teared up but Blake.

Ruby quickly curled up into a ball, pulling her legs into her chest as she sobbed quietly.

Weiss wiped her eyes and tried to calm herself, failing as she did so.

Yang bit her bottom lip and shook her head, peering off at the wall to her left.

But Blake just sat there, eyes trained on the foot of her bed.

"He loves us all." Yang spoke up through her tears.

"He created us!" Weiss spoke loudly, before burying her face into her pillow.

"He's... gone." Blake spoke up. And then, it was Ruby, who through tears said:

"His name... His name was Monty Oum."

* * *

**This story was made to commemorate the passing of Monty Oum, beloved creator, animator and busybody. **

**This is one lemon punching, cosplaying, DDRing badass who was too young to leave us, but at the same time was too extreme to pass up the opportunity to make somewhere else as beautiful as he made the Earth.**

**May he forever live on through the works of art he made, and may he forever inspire the hearts of young animators and storytellers alike.**

**He certainly has for me.**

**Goodbye, Monty Oum, and rest in peace.**


	6. Green

Monty Oum, the creator of the world of Remnant and the world of RWBY, had just enough time for a final trip. He loved all of the characters he had created within the world of Remnant. He had a right to. They were all badasses forged in his own mind.

When Monty found him, he smiled. A boy sitting in the same endless plane of existence that Monty had conjured up in his unconscious mind.

This boy was possibly the most personal of creations to Monty in the RWBY universe, for he was the life behind him.

The boy, Lie Ren, turned his head to face Monty. He did not say anything. He could not. His voice had been taken away, so Monty did the talking for him.

"Hello, Ren." Monty greeted. This time, Monty was not wearing a suit. He was simply wearing what he'd wear on a day to day basis.

Ren raised an eyebrow, confused as to who it was. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words did not come out.

"You, uh... Can't really talk. Sorry about that." Monty apologized, helping Ren up. "At least not for now. I'm sure they'll find someone else to give you a voice."

Ren just nodded, seeming to understand the matter of the situation clearly. Monty frowned.

"This entire world is my creation... But you're the only creation of mine that truly reflects who I am, or at least who I was." Monty said, extending his arm for a handshake.

Ren denied the handshake, and instead hugged his creator, his voice, his inspiration.

"I trust that you'll be fine here. I just thought I'd come to tell you about the whole voice thing. It shouldn't make much of a difference, though. That's another similarity between us. We don't talk much." Monty chuckled. Ren smiled in return.

Suddenly, the world behind Monty grew drastically bright. Monty turned his head, departing from Ren.

"Well, that's my cue." Monty sighed, shutting his eyes as well. "This is going to suck, having to leave you all behind."

He stepped away, the staircase ahead of him ascending upward into the never ending nothingness. The animator turned his head to his creation as he placed his foot on the first step, smiling at Ren.

"Keep going." Is all Monty said before he walked up the rest of the steps and out of Ren's sight.

Ren never spoke of the dream he had that night, knowing it was not just a dream, but instead a creation. A figment of Monty's imagination.

Ren would hear Team RWBY speaking of the dream in the future, and would be able to silently confirm his suspicions.

Monty Oum had existed, and still did, though not physically. He lived on through creations like Lie Ren, or Ruby Rose, or even in the movements of Agent Texas.

Afterall, Monty didn't truly pass away. The afterlife just needed some help to make things more efficient.


End file.
